The Plant Native

The Plant Native If native plants can plant themselves, we can easily plant them, too. Let's plant native!

Friends! Have we met yet? I'm Em, the founder of The Plant Native. I thought it was time to tell a little backstory abou...
09/10/2026

Friends! Have we met yet? I'm Em, the founder of The Plant Native. I thought it was time to tell a little backstory about how we got here, and share some exciting news:

I HAVE A BOOK COMING OUT!

Writing a book was always a life goal, but one I never took seriously. When I started The Plant Native in 2021, I had no idea it would grow into what it is today. What I did see clearly was that native plants needed a better marketing partner. So I started a website. And started writing. And taking pictures. And visiting dozens of native plant nurseries, botanical gardens, and even taking horticultural college classes at Temple University (more on that, in another post. And hi hi hi to my fellow classmates!)

Today, you'll find 175+ native plant profiles and guides on theplantnative.com, each and every one written for home gardeners in mind. We have 28k Facebook followers and 14k Instagram friends. The site gets 100k visitors a month.

And now, A BOOK.

I'll share more in future posts, but for now—please consider pre-ordering and helping support the work. Every single pre-order is a huge sign to book sellers that THIS CONTENT MATTERS. Order from an independent book seller at:

https://theplantnative.com/book

And as we say—happy planting!

09/09/2026

Anyone else have a beautiful native garden they planted with ZERO gardening experience? Because that’s me. I planted natives without knowing what I was doing. I didn’t water enough, I planted them too close together, I didn’t get a soil test. And guess what: TOTALLY FINE! Gorgeous year after year.

This is why I started The Plant Native. There is no need to be scared by Latin names and vocab. We all lived through a pandemic. We have no reason to be afraid of flowers.

It's National Hummingbird Day! 🐦 Starting our faves with Coral Honeysuckle — swipe to see why it's basically a wild bird...
09/05/2026

It's National Hummingbird Day! 🐦 Starting our faves with Coral Honeysuckle — swipe to see why it's basically a wild bird feeder.

🌿 Link in comments for our full Hummingbird Garden Guide!

09/05/2026

Episode 5 in our 5 second series! Poolside at Chanticleer, a pleasure garden . Get some butterfly milkw**d, put it in full sun, and you did it. **dformonarchs **d

Can't believe I am saying this on the internet, but I love beardtongues.Today is World Beard Day. Time to celebrate foxg...
09/03/2026

Can't believe I am saying this on the internet, but I love beardtongues.

Today is World Beard Day. Time to celebrate foxglove BEARDTONGUE! Yes, that name is correct. Somehow, this plant is named after the *teeny-tiny hairs on the stamen* instead of its runway of flowers. It should be renamed to American snapdragon, IMO.

Swipe through for some stellar beardtongue landscaping. This short perennial is perfect for borders, lawn edges, and if you have a .25 acre to spare and want to go for it, just blanket the expanse with thousands. (That epic patch is at Chanticleer, in Wayne, PA. The scientific name for this beardtongue is Penstemon digitalis.)

It's also crazy easy to grow. The few I started with in my PA yard have flourished and self-seeded into a beautiful patch. It took 15 minutes to plant it three years ago, and it's returned hours of watching happy bee butts wiggle into the flowers.

Its native range is enormous: from eastern Oklahoma south to Louisiana, then up to Pennsylvania. Yep, anyone from Shreveport to Philadelphia can plant some beardtongues.

Anyone else love beardtongues?

09/02/2026

It’s just one of those days over here. Looking at some 70 YO native trees and pollinator filled flowers helps put it in perspective. I’m going to take today’s sad vibe and turn it into fuel for good. Tomorrow, I’m calling and emailing my legislators to help protect Yosemite and Big Bend from development. Anyone else with me? Summers over, time to get to work!

09/01/2026

We handed a 4-year-old a $2 seed packet of butterfly w**d.
Poked a hole, dropped in a seed, walked away.
By summer, it was blooming. 🦋

It's one of 5 beginner-proof natives that forgive almost any mistake.

Get the full list (and exactly how to plant them) in the guide — link in comments! 👇

08/30/2026

You’re hearing the leaf blowers come out, and you might feel like you’re supposed to doing garden chores. My advice: plant native and SKIP IT. Here’s a garden chore to do right now. 📸 🎥 Anything else you recommend in terms of fall garden to-do’s?

Also, hi! I’m Em. I’m the founder and editor of The Plant Native. I’ve been working on the website and the socials since 2021. I am VERY camera shy and scared that the internet will take my good-intentioned native plant passion and put me under the microscope. But you know what? As my friend and collaborator Tejas Prairie told me, we can’t be scared by the haters. Climate change doesn’t care about our fragile egos. So just maybe…you’ll start to see me more. 🌱

08/29/2026

You don’t need a meadow to help monarchs. This walkway is doing its part. Fall is a perfect time to plant! Get out there, find some at your closest native nursery, and you’re helping an endangered species in your own yard. **dformonarchs **d **dformonarchs

Oh friends. Are you feeling like I am today? We lost what some might call an icon, but maybe a truer metaphor is North S...
08/26/2026

Oh friends. Are you feeling like I am today? We lost what some might call an icon, but maybe a truer metaphor is North Star.

Dolly did it all: made room for family, never apologized for her fierce ambition, always helped other artists, and then expanded her generosity into health, education, and equity. And she was creative and weird—boxes most women don't get to check off.

Join me in remembering her in our gardens today. Here are some stellar native plants that bloom with the same ambition, intensity, and generosity that Dolly brought to the world. (And almost all are Southern gems.) Cheers to you, Dolly.

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